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Just Surrender (Thoughts On Chanting Japa)

Because we are in a conditioned state of existence we have no real desire to surrender to Krishna. In the same way, we have no real desire to surrender to the Holy Name while we are chanting Japa.

We fight and struggle with chanting in our efforts to surrender to Krishna, to surrender to His Holy Name.

We fight with our mind, trying to control it. This can often lead to a dialog with the mind, rather than absorption in the sound vibration of the mantra. We notice our thoughts wandering, so we say to ourselves "stop wandering mind, think about Krishna" ..... that's a dialog with the mind.

We can get really lost in all this mental dialog, what to speak of being lost in our own thoughts without even realizing it, or making the effort to control it.

Instead of struggling so hard in these ways, it's very helpful to just surrender to Krishna. Surrender to the sound vibration of His Holy Name. Let Krishna be in control. Just absorb yourself in the sound that is Krishna.

Our disease here in the material world is that we want to be the controllers. We want to control everything and anything. We even want to control our chanting. Chanting japa is not a material activity. It's Krishna, a relationship with Krishna.
So if we approach chanting from the perspective of trying to "control it", "manage it" etc... we can sometimes get lost in our efforts, and just continue struggling to "control" different aspects of chanting.

We can instead try to stay aware that this is Krishna we are addressing, and stay aware of the power of the Holy Name, and stay aware of the sound vibration of the maha mantra.

When we chant with full concentration on the sound vibration, both on making it with our voice and mouth, and on hearing the sound we are chanting, then issues about the mind become reduced dramatically.

It's similar to the state of "mindfulness" that Buddhists talk about, where you are conscious at every second of being in that moment and that moment alone. Only, instead of being conscious of ourselves and our actions, we are conscious of Krishna, and in the immediate awareness of the sound of His names as we are chanting them.

Krishna is there in His name. Chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is a very deep meditation. Just allow Krishna to take over, surrender to Him, and focus on Him in the form of His name.

Thank you very much for you giving these inspiring thoughts this is very helpful.PLease keep writing.
Hare Krishna!

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Sat, 06/21/2008 - 21:03 — Snehal
Snehal's picture
Hare Krisna!

Thank you for sharing this tip of getting absorbed in sound vibration. I tried it and it was blissfull. I shall continue to do it.

Haribol.

Snehal.

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Sat, 06/21/2008 - 22:55 — Navasi
Navasi's picture
Blissful Chanting

You're very welcome Snehal, I'm glad it has helped you.

Chanting the names of Krishna is the most blissful thing we can do.
Our minds and senses get in the way of us knowing that sometimes.

It always makes me smile to see how much devotees are so attracted to chanting. Even people who don't yet know they are devotees are attracted to the Holy Names.

You can see it on Sankirtan, on the streets, they see the devotees and hear the chanting and they just have to join in and start chanting too. Maybe they have never even seen devotees, or heard the chanting before, but as soon as they hear, they want to chant!

I never thought in this way.
Almost what ever work i did i used to surrender to him, but surrendering while chanting thats wonderful.
Thank u so much for helping
Now i can enjoy chanting more........
Hare Krishna:)))))))))))